Video: Drunk man sings Bohemian Rhapsody in police car

Edson
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The video of an intoxicated man arrested for disorderly behavior and pleading his case in a police car with a remarkable rendition of the Queen's 1975 smash hit Bohemian Rhapsody, has received more than a million views on YouTube.

The footage, according to Daily Mail, appears to have been captured by CCTV cameras in a Canadian Mounted Police car in Edson, Alberta. Metro says the man was arrested by the Royal Mounted Police at around 4 a.m. in Edson, Alberta, on November 27 last year.

Metro identifies the man as 29-year-old Robert Williams. He tried to cajole the officers to release him after he was picked up. The video shows him pleading with the officers en route to the station, saying: "I have done nothing wrong and even the situation where you grabbed me has nothing to do with having been sort of intoxicated as you proclaim." He adds somewhat disconnectedly: "But it doesn't even matter. It has to do with the brotherhood of man from the planet earth."

The bearded man falls into silence for a while as the officers ignore him. Then after some time he takes off his glasses, takes in a deep breath and begins singing his version of Freddie Mercury's famous ballad: "Is this the real life? Or is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality." He expresses his despair theatrically by placing his hands on his head.

Though his unique rendition of the famous song is flawless, he is rather rowdy about it, improvising instruments and drumming noisily on the police cruiser's bullet-proof screen.

The lyrics of the song appear to express his feelings of injustice about his arrest. Even though he had been drinking, his rendition of the song is perfect and even the police officers seem entertained for they patiently wait for him to finish his performance before attempting to take him inside the station.

Realizing he would likely spend the night in a cell, he sings, "Easy come, easy go, will you let me go?" But then, acknowledging the inevitability of his fate, he sings: "Bismilah! No, we will not let you go...Nothing really matters, No, nothing really matters. Even in the RCMP."

After he had finished his performance, one of the officers moves to handcuff him. He asks the officer: "Do you have to cuff me?" The officer asks "Are you going to be good?" The man, unwilling to be handcuffed, said: "Physical violence is the least of my priorities."

Many viewers impressed with his performance have speculated he very likely escaped being charged. A YouTube viewer said: "He's definitely going to get out of this charge. [His] Bohemian defense is unbeatable."

Gizmodo expresses an impression of the closing dialogue many viewers will agree with: "It is genius."

According to Raw Story, the video was uploaded to YouTube March 29, 2012.